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French yellow vests clash with police in Paris

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…Sports cancelled as traumatised New Zealand mourns shooting victims***

French yellow vest protesters have clashed with riot police near the Arc de Triomphe on the 18th straight weekend of demonstrations against President Emmanuel Macron.

Protesters threw smoke bombs and other objects at officers, and started pounding on the windows of a police van. Riot police then retreated, as did a water cannon, with protesters kicking the side of the large truck.

Later, the water cannon unleashed bursts from a side street to try to push protesters back. A burning vehicle was seen nearby.

Police have announced 20 arrests already as protesters try to breathe new life into their movement against Macron and his policies.

After dwindling numbers in recent weekend protests, yellow vest groups organized dozens of rallies and marches Saturday in the capital and around.

In the meantime, a raft of top-class sports events were cancelled in New Zealand on Saturday as a traumatised nation started burying the dead from the worst peacetime mass killing in its history.

A lone gunman killed 49 people and wounded more than 20 at two Christchurch mosques on Friday in a shooting which Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern condemned as “a terrorist attack”.

Only one National Rugby League match went ahead in Auckland on Saturday.

A horse racing meeting, a top class rugby union match, a cricket test, and string of netball games were all scratched from the schedules in the wake of the attack.

“This isn’t about cricket,” New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White said when discussing the cancellations in his sport.

“It’s about something much bigger and much more important than that. It’s about life, it’s about respect. It’s about family and community.

“Cricket and sports takes a back seat to personal welfare.”

The third cricket test between New Zealand and Bangladesh, whose team were on a bus approaching one of the mosques with the attack underway, was cancelled on Friday.

The test was due to start at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday but the Bangladesh team have now left New Zealand.

Their departure came less than 24 hours after the shooting and about an hour after the initial scheduled start time.

The Super Rugby clash in Dunedin between the Otago Highlanders and Christchurch-based Canterbury Crusaders, was called off on Saturday out of respect for the victims and their families.

The Canterbury cricket team, one of six first-class sides in New Zealand’s domestic Plunket Shield competition, also chose not to play their final round match in Wellington.

This development has now handed the title to Central Districts.

Canterbury were the only side with a mathematical chance of catching Central Districts in the final round of games.

But their decision not to travel to Wellington for match starting on Sunday gave the title to last year’s winners.

Chief executive Jeremy Curwin said Canterbury Cricket had consulted with the players, who were given the opportunity to make their decision whether to play the final game as individuals or collectively.

“The team showed a united front in terms of the decision,” Curwin said in a statement.

“It is clear that this tragedy will affect people in different ways, and Canterbury Cricket is here to support our players however we can.

“We fully respect their decision, and I am incredibly proud of how they conducted themselves throughout this process.”

New Zealand internationals Martin Guptill and Lockie Ferguson, who play first-class cricket for Auckland, also withdrew from their team’s match against Otago in Dunedin.

“Both Martin and Lockie felt personally uncomfortable making the trip to Dunedin given the events in Christchurch, and also, the feelings and concerns of their partners and families,” Auckland’s high performance manager Simon Insley
said.

“We understand that at times like this, families come first.”

While the Dunedin Super Rugby match was called off, the Waikato Chiefs and Wellington Hurricanes did play a 23-23 draw in Hamilton, on the North Island, on Friday night.

All Blacks and Hurricanes scrumhalf TJ Perenara admitted, however, that the minds of the players had also been elsewhere.

“Today was bigger than rugby,” Perenara told reporters.

“Regardless of how that result went, that wouldn’t have been the most important part of my day. I don’t think anyone in this country, would say that rugby was the most important thing.”

Additional report from Fox News

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WTO Hosts Seminar On Green Supply Chains

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WTO Hosts Seminar On Green Supply Chains

A seminar on “Building greener and more Resilient Supply Chains” was held in Geneva as part of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Public Forum 2024.

It was co-hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the International Trade Centre (ITC).

The four-day public forum would feature over 130 sessions with nearly 4,400 participants from government, business, academia, and civil society.

CCPIT Chairman Ren Hongbin said that today’s globalised economy created both opportunities and challenges.

He emphasised the need to embrace openness and inclusiveness while upholding true multilateralism.

He also stressed that building greener and more resilient supply chains was crucial to addressing global challenges.

ITC Deputy Executive Director Dorothy Tembo underscored the ITC’s commitment to collaborating with partners to offer technical assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

It would offer assistance, especially to those in developing countries, to tap into the potential of cross-border e-commerce.

She said the goal was to build greener supply chains and reduce the carbon footprint of e-commerce, thereby contributing more to sustainable development.

In its Digital Economy Report 2024, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) emphasised the urgent need to adopt an environmentally sustainable and inclusive digital strategy, said UNCTAD’s head of E-Commerce and Digital Economy.

Torbjorn Frederick stressed that China had issued innovative guidelines promoting the sustainable development of the digital economy. 

– Xinhua

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U.S. strikes 2 targets in Syria in response to ‘continued attacks’

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The U.S. military struck two facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran-affiliated groups in response to “continued attacks” against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon said on Sunday.

The strikes were conducted against a training facility in Abu Kamal and a safe house in Mayadin in the eastern governorate of Deir Ezzor, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a brief statement.

The U.S. struck similar targets in eastern Syria in October and earlier in November.

Pro-Iranian militias have intensified their attacks on U.S. military bases in Syria and Iraq in recent weeks as a response to the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.

The security situation in the entire region has been particularly tense since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants staged deadly attacks in southern Israel.

Israel is responding with an overwhelming air and ground offensive in Gaza.

As a deterrent, the U.S. has moved more weapons systems, warships and air squadrons to the Eastern Mediterranean, and is deploying several hundred troops to the Middle East to support US units there.

U.S. President Joe Biden had ordered Sunday’s action to make it clear that the U.S. was defending itself, its personnel, and its interests, Austin stressed.

The U.S. is prepared to take further necessary measures to protect its own people and interests.

  • dpa
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Russia writes off $23bn debt for Africa – Putin

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Russia sends almost 12m tons of grain to Africa says Putin

…Pledges additional $90 million***

Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, says the Russian Government has written off $23 billion debt burden of African countries.

Putin spoke at the plenary session of the ongoing second Russia–Africa Summit 2023 held from July 27 to July 28.

He said Moscow would allocate an additional $90 million for these purposes.

Putin said Russia was advocating the expansion of representation of African countries in the UN Security Council and other UN structures.

“Russia and Africa strive to develop cooperation in all areas and strengthen ‘honest, open, constructive’ partnership.

“Russia will also assist in opening new African embassies and consulates in Russia,” he said.

According to him, the reopening of embassies in Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea is going as planned.

He said sovereignty was “not a one-time achieved state,” and it must be constantly protected.

Putin also offered assistance to Africa in countering threats such as terrorism, piracy, and transnational crimes adding that it would continue to train personnel from African countries.

He assured that Russian businesses have a lot to offer partners from Africa.

Putin said transition to national currencies and the establishment of transport and logistics chains would contribute to the increase in mutual trade turnover.

“Russia is ready to provide trade preferences to Africa, support the creation of modern production sectors, agricultural sector, and provide assistance through relevant international structures and agencies.

“Russia will always be a responsible international supplier of agricultural products,” he said.

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